Having been the first European classical concert venue to permanently install a Yamaha Rivage PM10 digital mixing system in 2016, the Philharmonie Luxembourg has now added a Rivage PM7.

With raked stalls and four seating ‘towers’ on each side, the 1,328-capacity Grand Auditorium at the hall combines the acoustics of classic shoebox concert halls with the atmosphere of a Shakespearean theatre. The smaller Salle de Musique de Chambre features curved walls and can host audiences of 313 people, and the venue’s four foyers can also be used for performances.

Yamaha digital mixing systems have been used since the Philharmonie Luxembourg opened in 2005 – initially a PM5D and M7CL-32, then a CL5 and the Rivage PM10. In 2020, the decision was taken to replace the CL5 with a Rivage PM7 system.

‘The audio quality of the Rivage PM10 system is excellent,’ says Thomas Leisen, a freelance mixing engineer who regularly works with the Philharmonie Luxembourg team. ‘We have been working with it since the first firmware version, and the performance has improved with each update. Even complex set-ups are now easy to create.’

‘The ability to separate the individual bays and work with two operators at the console is a good feature and, with the offline editor, new operators can get a good overview of the system’s functions and easily prepare set-ups,’ agrees Marko Schneider, another engineer who regularly mixes shows at Philharmonie Luxembourg. ‘The system fully met my expectations and is a pleasure to work with. It’s also been well accepted by guest engineers, who quickly find their way around it.’

The success of the PM10 meant that the venue’s audio team started to look for a complementary system that would be equally suitable for mixing monitors in the Grand Auditorium and as a flexible solution for sophisticated applications in the Salle de Musique de Chambre and foyer performance spaces.

‘When we invested in Rivage PM7, we also exchange our Rio3224-D I/O racks for the new D2 versions,’ says Hagen Tschek, Philharmonie Luxembourg’s Senior Manager Stage Operations. ‘This would give us two high end, 64 input systems – the PM10 with the RPio622 I/O rack and the PM7 with the D2 R-series racks. When combined, the two systems can handle FOH and monitors for our bigger productions in the Grand Auditorium.’

The new system was supplied by Amptec, Belgium and, despite the Covid-19 pandemic meaning that its use has so far been limited, the technical team immediately noticed a difference: ‘The combination of Rivage PM7 and the D2 I/O racks delivered a massive improvement in sound, thanks to the improved head amps,’ Schneider reports. ‘Everything sounds clearer and, when using it for monitoring, gain sharing with the PM10 system works perfectly. Now all of Philharmonie Luxembourg’s mixing systems have the sonic quality to match its status as a truly world class venue.’

More: www.yamahaproaudio.com